How Do You Make Lemonade, Anyway?
by hazju1
Summary: Chell is finally free. As she discovers, though, it's almost as difficult to survive on the surface. What will she do when her need to recover her memories drives her to return to Aperture? It won't be an easy task, and a few mysteries will be uncovered along the way. Chell and GLaDOS friendship, possible ChellDOS, but realistic in development. (And any angst won't be pointless)
1. Outside I

A/N: Briefly, I just want to say that this is my first story. If you're even remotely interested, please read this chapter fully and leave your opinion, whether it be a simple sentence describing your impression, or a full review of my writing style, as I requested at the end. Any reviews are appreciated!

* * *

_If we crave for some cosmic purpose,  
then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.  
-Carl Sagan_

Chell stared in dismay as the door of the dilapidated shed slammed shut behind the weighted companion cube. That was it? No food or supplies to help her on her way, no directions to guide her towards civilization? She hadn't had any time to recover from—or even process—either of the ordeals she'd been through. As soon as Chell regained consciousness, GLaDOS shoved her into the elevator, dismissing her abruptly and rocketing her to the surface. The sentry-turret choir had been nice, at least.

So here she was, in the middle of this vast wheat field. Outside.

It was such a foreign concept; Chell couldn't recall any memory of the surface—or any memories not related to Aperture science, actually. She'd woken up one day to GLaDOS spouting out testing protocol, with a vague sense of who she was and knowing only her name.

Now, after who knows how long in the underground facility, Chell was dazzled by the brilliance of genuine sunlight; she had to shield her eyes to even see anything. Looking into the distance trying to find anything of significance, she saw a forest lining the edge of the wheat field, but not much else. She could get out of the sun, at least; it was already getting uncomfortably hot. _What was it that guy said? _"_Don't give me your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these!?_" She sighed. _Well, _I_ don't have a clue_. _I'd better get going, though_.

Chell glared down at the charred, beat up companion cube. A fat lot of help that'd be. GLaDOS probably just threw it up to her as a final insult to her intelligence. Leaving it behind, she started making her way towards the forest. She missed her longfall boots; walking without them felt slow and clunky.

Her thoughts returned to her departure from Aperture Science, and Chell considered how GLaDOS not only spared her life—she saved it. Sure, she'd remarked about how difficult Chell was to kill, about taking the easiest path, et cetera, et cetera, but GLaDOS was the only one who could have pulled Chell back from the vacuum of space. She could have killed Chell no problem right then and there, too, but instead let her leave. She smirked as she trudged through the dense stalks of wheat. Perhaps being powerless for a change, not to mention facing the wrath of a huge, virtually omnipotent robot, had humbled GLaDOS a little.

As Chell arrived at the edge of the forest, the shade provided was a welcome reprieve. Once again she was overwhelmed by new sights and sounds: the vivid colours of the trees and undergrowth, the crisp smell of vegetation, and all the various outbursts and calls made by wildlife. It was in such stark contrast to the sterile, uniformly white environment in the facility. It was wonderful.

And yet…although there was so much to explore and examine, Chell was suddenly filled with trepidation at the prospect of venturing into the forest, where there might lurk untold numbers of deadly things. If there was anything her time at Aperture had taught her, it was that even the most benign looking objects could suddenly shoot you, or hit you, or throw you, or out of nowhere turn into a psychotic maniac and betray you, dumping you into the decrepit depths of Aperture Science with nothing but a portal gun to defend yourself with.

Chell shook herself out of the memory. Her options were to either enter the forest in search of food and water, or walk around the edge of the field in the hope of finding some path towards civilization. The field itself probably hadn't been maintained in a very long time, considering there was a shed right in the middle of it, but Chell didn't know anything about farming, so she couldn't be sure. Maybe some road or path connected to the field somewhere, even if it wasn't in use anymore—entering the forest should probably be a last resort.

As she resumed walking around the edge of the forest, relaxing a little with every step now that she had a plan, Chell tried to think of everything she could remember about herself. _I can't speak, my name is Chell, I'm maybe twenty years old, I think…I belonged to Aperture Science somehow…and…I have amnesia_, she finished lamely. It wasn't much at all, and that last one didn't really count. She gathered from her experience in the testing chambers that at least her functional knowledge was intact, so it seemed that, for the most part, only her episodic memory was missing. For all her goading and poking, GLaDOS was probably at least partially correct in saying Chell was brain-damaged; she had likely suffered some sort of trauma that resulted in memory loss. _I'll just have to hope I recover eventually, I guess._

—

After several hours, the sun was getting low and Chell was getting tired. The lack of adrenal vapor was probably affecting her. Just as she was considering finding some place to rest for the night, Chell spotted what looked like a dirt road leading to a small wooden cottage, or maybe a farm, along an edge of the field perpendicular to the one she was following. After glancing around for a moment, she cut through the field in the direction of the cottage, grasping onto the hope that she'd finally come in contact with another human being. Even from a distance, Chell could see an old red truck parked beside the home—at the very least she hoped the inhabitant could drive her to the nearest town.

Still, Chell approached cautiously; there could be an isolated nutjob in there, for all she knew. When she reached the fence that surrounded the building, she paused, looking around for any glaringly violent "KEEP OUT" signs, or the like. Finding none, she finally went through the gate to examine the cottage more closely.

She did not like what she saw. _Damn…_she cursed. The cottage—shack would be a more appropriate term, now that she got a good look—had probably been abandoned for a long time. The front door was missing, most of the windows were broken, the roof of the porch looked close to collapse, and it was in a general state of disrepair. Still, there could be someone lurking in those conditions, or there might be other dangers if she walked in too suddenly—namely, being crushed under a heavy mass of rotting wood. Walking to the side of the house, Chell looked over the rusted red truck, and concluded that it was probably broken down.

Seeing nothing else of import other than an outhouse some distance away—which she would have to use soon—Chell sighed and warily began making her way into the building. The first thing she noticed was the excessive amount of journals, newspapers, and books strewn all over the floor. There was a small round table (well, a broken one) to the right, next to a simple kitchen equipped with gas burners, an oven, and some cabinets. To the left was a living room with a chimney and some beaten up chairs, and what may have been an old radio set. A wooden staircase was directly in front of the door, separating the kitchen from the living room. The decoration looked very old—it might have been from the fifties or so, although it was hard to tell because of the peeling wallpaper and moldy fabrics.

She didn't really trust the rickety-looking staircase, and proceeded up slowly and carefully. There couldn't be much up there—maybe a small attic or bedroom, she guessed from the outside shape. Chell reached the top of the stairs, peeking her head up above the floorboards, and saw that it was indeed a bedroom. Ascending fully into the small space, she saw something else.

There was a dead body in the bed.

She made a strangled grunting sound and bounded down the stairs as fast as she dared, her stomach rebelling against her. Chell hadn't eaten anything since she'd woken up many hours ago, but still she heaved, leaning over the side of the porch. Even though nothing came out, she stayed in the same position, breathing heavily and sweating. In a way, not being able to vomit was worse, because there was no associated feeling of release. She shuddered. _Of all the…that…_ She couldn't even finish the thought. Chell was almost positive she'd never seen a corpse before—certainly not since she'd lost her memories, but she was surprised by how much it affected her; she really needed to calm down.

After a few minutes, Chell straightened up, still feeling a little nauseous and clammy, but better. _Clearly, the owner's in no shape to drive anyone anywhere_, she thought perversely. _And I should get out of here_.

_There may be something useful in there though…_ Chell stood still for a moment, uncertain, but her curiosity won out. She stepped through the front door again, even slower this time. There might be a map of the area, or something else that could help. Chell avoided the kitchen for now; she was in no state to even think about food. Instead she focused on the living room, hoping to find something to tell her where she was while looking through the numerous piles of books and papers. It felt quite morbid to be rifling through a dead person's house while they were still there; the thought of the body upstairs hung over her, as if she could sense the presence of death.

_Wherever this place is, I might be really far from other people…from what I could see when I was with Wheatley and GLaDOS, Aperture Science is huge, and I don't think it would've been built anywhere near even a small town. I should probably check if the truck actually does work once I'm done here._

As Chell continued rummaging through the dusty papers, she started seeing a pattern. There were numerous physics and chemistry books, but she also noticed some research proposals. 'The Effects of Potassium-40 on Rat Mating Behavior'…'Theorized Processes to Imbue Fingernails With Psychoactive Substances…'An Exploration Into the Computational Properties of Hair'—_Wait, what? This guy _had_ to have worked for Aperture._

She stopped and looked around, searching for any signs or clues that might confirm her guess. Nothing immediately stood out, but then a newspaper clipping caught her eye: "**LEAKED: Aperture Science—A Revolution in the Making, or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?**" The picture was of an aged Cave Johnson shaking hands at a board meeting, with what looked like early blueprints of some kind projected on the wall. The article read, "An anonymous source yesterday leaked this photo of Cave Johnson (Founder and CEO of Aperture Science) agreeing on a government grant to fund serious research into Artificial Intelligence, or A.I. The private research company holds a reputation for ineptness and wasteful endeavors, but occasionally comes up with truly useful innovations—something Mr. Johnson made sure to highlight in his proposal on Monday. Artificial Intelligence, at least of the recognizable and meaningful kind, has been dismissed by experts as something far beyond humanity's current capabilities (for an in-depth analysis, see page 5), and yet Mr. Johnson made it clear that he intends to construct a sentient computer within the next ten years. If he fails, as many computer scientists believe will be the case, then the entire project will have been an enormous waste of government resources. But what will come of success is less clear. The impact on our society (_cont. on page 9)_"

Chell stared at the page. It was at that moment that GLaDOS was conceived, she was sure of it. That photo marked the beginning of a project that resulted in hundreds of deaths. _A disaster waiting to happen indeed…_

The rest of the newspaper was missing, so Chell couldn't read any further, but she sat back and thought about what to do next. There might be a lot more about the history of Aperture here…but there was also a dead person upstairs. And while she felt ill just thinking about it, she really was going to need something to eat, or at least drink, soon.

—

After returning from the outhouse, Chell felt a little better, so she stepped into the kitchen hoping to find some food that had miraculously not spoiled over the years. The cabinets that were missing doors seemed to have only dining and cooking utensils, but she resolved to check them all anyway. Most of them were empty, but the last one before reaching the pantry had some sealed cans of some kind—they didn't have any labels. She set them aside for later inspection, and moved on to the pantry.

Instead of a pantry, though, what Chell found when she opened the door was a small, empty closet-like space with a kind of metal trapdoor, presumably leading to a cellar. Interestingly, it was the only thing that looked remotely new in the entire house. When she tried to open it, not only did she find it locked, but a loud computerized voice jarringly interrupted the silence: "**Please give the access code, Mr. Johnson.**"

Chell jerked back in surprise. _No…This can't be his house…that…the body upstairs…is that really Cave Johnson?_

She looked up at the ceiling in the direction of the bed, but suddenly a wave of fatigue passed through her, and she found herself leaning heavily on the kitchen counter. _I really need to eat something…_was Chell's last thought before she passed out.

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it. I really would appreciate reviews; it would help me know that people are actually reading it, but I'd also like constructive criticism. I have confidence in my grammar, but I feel like my writing style is really dry and dull. I usually feel like I don't bring characters to life-like I just state what they do and what they say, without letting their actions or feelings drive the story. I don't have any more of this written, but I do have plans for the story. I know everyone says that, but I have a sense of where this is going (as you could glean from the description), and I _will_ finish it, whether the chapters take two weeks or two months, or even two years (that's a great exaggeration, though) to write. So, what did you think of this pilot chapter? Was it too boring? Were the environment descriptions excessive? Was there enough focus on Chell's feelings and thoughts? Was there _too_ much focus on her thoughts, and not enough focus on events?

I know this chapter is pretty slow (and short), but hopefully the story will pick up pace within the next few. GLaDOS will probably appear in chapter 3. Please review!


	2. Outside II

A/N: Here's the next chapter!

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_A liberal is a man or a woman or a child_

_who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night,_

_and a bright, infinite future._

_-Leonard Bernstein_

—

The great machine loomed over her. "Well now, I'm disappointed. It seems your time outside resulted in such a deterioration of your mental faculties that I'm going to have to deem you unfit for testing," she said in that terribly familiar, calculating, almost bored voice.

"Don't bother, she clearly hasn't got a clue what you're saying," piped the small sphere nearby. "So what're we gonna do? She's gotten quite porky, hasn't she?"

Chell opened her eyes, her grogginess disappearing instantly . What was she doing back here? She frantically looked around, trying but failing to sit up. _Aperture? What? How..._

"Hmm..." GLaDOS examined her. "Well, you know how it is with humans and their disabled pets," she said offhandedly. "And this test subject has quite the history of violent behavior. Perhaps it's best we euthanize her."

Wheatley's blue optic narrowed. "Oh yeah, there's no denying she deserves it. How's about we toss her into the incinerator? Or maybe crush her with a mashy-spike plate? Ooh, ooh! _Maybe_ we could fling her into space, see how _she_ likes it!" he said malevolently.

"Maybe," GLaDOS returned noncommittally. She leaned in to focus her yellow optic on Chell's face. "You know what's next, don't you? You horrible, cruel, heartless person. There's no escape this time."

Chell knew she was right. She was immobilized somehow, and even if she could move, there was nowhere to go. She couldn't recall ever being so scared; her heart was pounding and her breath came in short, quick gasps. How did this happen?

"You thought I would let you go?" GLaDOS said softly. Chell could see every detail of her cold, white, metallic chassis. "You thought you were free? How sad. How pitiful. You were, are, and will always be a test subject—a disposable resource of the Enrichment Center, nothing more. And you _will_ be disposed of. Right now." She paused in contemplation. "Hmm. I guess that means the part about you always being a test subject is wrong, then, isn't it? Soon you'll just be a small pile of ashes. Well, maybe not a _small_ one."

GLaDOS's claw arm reached down from the ceiling and picked Chell up, pressing into her sides painfully. She was carried slowly, deliberately over to the incinerator, while sentry turrets gallivanted around singing in their child-like voices, "No escape, no escape, no escape, no escape!"

This was it. No matter what she tried, no matter how often she ran, she'd always end up back here. Chell squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see any more of the fate that awaited her. GLaDOS was silent, but Wheatley was laughing maniacally just like when he first went mad, all while the turrets sang cheerfully.

GLaDOS's voice held no emotion as she said, "Goodbye, [Subject Name Here]..." and dropped her into the incinerator.

—

Chell jolted awake with a sharp, painful gasp. _What!?_

Disoriented, she immediately sat up, fast enough to make herself light-headed and almost pass out again. Looking around wildly, she saw the floor and broken cabinets of the old kitchen, and realized where she was. _It was a dream—just a dream. A horrible nightmare...I'm out, I'm free. She's not here.._.

Chell took in a deep, shuddering breath to calm her racing heart and shaking limbs. She held her head in her hands, the nightmare still fresh in her mind.

_I'm in that old farm...I'm okay..._she kept repeating to herself. She shook her head slowly back and forth. What a horrible nightmare. Where did it come from, all of a sudden? Wheatley was still stuck out in space, and she had reconciled with GLaDOS, to a certain extent. And never, throughout her entire time in the Enrichment Center, had she ever felt as helpless as in that nightmare.

Everything was fine; she'd never have to go back to Aperture.

Chell slumped from her tense position, finally beginning to calm down. She took a deep breath and evaluated her surroundings more closely this time. What sky she could see through the broken windows was dark—it was probably hours before dawn. She climbed unsteadily to her feet and clutched the edge of the sink. The lack of adrenal vapor must be taking a much greater toll than she'd expected, for her to have fainted like that. _I never thought I'd have nightmares, though._

She ran her hands through her hair and rubbed her eyes. _I guess it's no use trying to get a good night's sleep here on the floor_, she thought, sighing.

Deciding to see if the tap worked, Chell leaned over to get a cup from one of the cabinets and turned the knob. Thankfully, mercifully, water came out. She let it run for a while and splashed some on her face, then filled the cup and took a sip; it tasted pretty awful—tangy and metallic—but it would have to do for now.

The memory of the body upstairs came back to her, and she shivered just slightly. Chell didn't survive being a test subject for so long by being squeamish, but here in the oppressive darkness of the countryside, the thought of having a corpse so close was pretty disturbing.

_Is that really Cave Johnson?_ Chell wondered again. The voice prompting for the password had referred to him specifically, and it was pretty clear that the resident of this place had been very familiar with Aperture. But Cave always sounded so enthusiastic for innovation and progress; why would he live in this dingy old farm? And hadn't he been working on developing GLaDOS for the express purpose of transferring his mind into a computer? _I'd think he would at least have wanted his body used for Science. Even if it was just as food for mantis-men._

In the morning she might work up the resolve to investigate the bedroom, but for now Chell wanted to check if the food cans she'd found were any good. She wandered through the darkness over to the chimney and reached out for the oil lamp and matches she'd seen yesterday, careful to not stumble on the mess of paper all over the floor.

With a source of light in hand (after a little difficulty with the matches), Chell walked back to the kitchen to try the aluminum cans—there were about a dozen or so. She hadn't seen any can openers during her raid of the cabinets and drawers yesterday, so she took a knife and carved open one of containers.

_Ughhh._

A rancid odor assaulted her almost immediately, and she came pretty close to being sick again. There was no way that food was still good. Chell threw the can out the broken window in disgust and took in a few breaths to steady herself. _All the other cans are probably the same._

Chell opened the rest of the cans out on the porch in the cold night air, where the smell of rotten food wouldn't be so concentrated, and sure enough, every single container was spoiled.

Her stomach rumbled. _When was the last time I ate?_ she wondered. _I didn't eat anything after waking up yesterday...GLaDOS gave me some ALF when she was revived and I started testing again, but that was...four? Five days ago?_ The Aperture Science All-purpose Long-lasting Food-substitute lasted for several days, but the effect was wearing off.

_I'm gonna have to leave pretty soon_, she realized. She'd like to keep scouring for more information, but really, her time as a test subject was past, and it would probably be healthier for her to move on—literally as well as figuratively. Her best bet was the truck; she'd have to see if she could get it running in the morning.

Chell sat down tiredly in one of the rocking chairs out on the porch, where the expansive wheat field could be seen across the dirt road, and looked up at the night sky. _How long has it been since I saw the stars—really got a chance to look at them?_ Of course, the roof of GLaDOS's chamber had collapsed when they were fighting Wheatley, but that didn't really count.

They were beautiful. She grinned—_am I turning into that ridiculous core obsessed with space now?_ But they were. Chell hadn't sat back and relaxed since she'd left Aperture—and there was plenty to do and much to worry about, but for now, it was nice to look up and appreciate just a small facet of nature. Something that was constant, never changing. It was comforting, and she eventually dozed off.

—

When she woke up, Chell sluggishly climbed out of the rocking chair, stretching in the nice, cool morning breeze. The sun was still low in the sky, so she hadn't slept for too long. But there were no nightmares, thankfully; in fact, it was the most restful sleep she'd had since coming out of stasis. One of the side effects of the adrenal vapor in the lab was severe insomnia (not that being under constant stress from the tests and GLaDOS helped any). It felt incredibly nice to finally spend a night away from that place. The first of many.

There were more pressing matters at hand, though...Chell looked over at the rusty pickup truck. It was doubtful that it still worked, but she had to find the keys to even try it. She hadn't seen them in the small shed on the side of the house, and so reluctantly went back inside to look for them. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that they weren't anywhere downstairs, which left only one place to look.

Chell sighed, climbing up the stairs to the bedroom. _I can't believe I'm going up there again_, she thought, bracing herself._ At least it's not dark outside this time._ She entered the bedroom slowly, but her eyes were immediately drawn towards the bed and the _thing_ in it, as if against her will—she knew what it was, where it was, and that knowledge worked against her.

Knowing what to expect didn't really help, but now that she got a good look at the corpse, Chell saw that it wasn't a body so much as sort of a fleshy skeleton; who knows how long it had been there for the process of decay to be so complete. _Eugh. At least it doesn't smell._

Chell just kind of stood there for a moment, captivated in morbid curiosity. She was also a little reluctant to venture further and turn her back on it—the possibility of zombies seemed a bit more threatening when she was staring into the eye sockets of a decayed corpse. _What the hell, get over it_. She rolled her eyes. GLaDOS had been joking when she mentioned reanimating the dead as a viable hobby—probably.

Finally stepping into the tiny bedroom, she saw a shabby desk crammed under the window, overloaded with papers and books just like the living room. There was a small dresser near the door, a bedside table with another lamp, and not much else.

_Aha!_ The keys were there on the floor near the window (which was broken like all the others). The truck key had a good coating of rust, and it left behind an orange-ish imprint when she pried it off the floor, but hopefully it was in a good enough state to fit into the ignition. Chell put it in the pocket of her leggings and prepared to leave, but took one last look at the desk.

She groaned mentally. _I _have_ to know._

Chell turned back and began looking through the papers on the surface of the pile, searching for anything that might confirm the identity of the body next to her, but to her surprise, all the sheets were completely blank. _What? Every single one...there's nothing. The hell...?_ Even deep into the pile, there was no writing, no scribble, or any discernible mark on any of the papers or books—it was bizarre.

Chell moved on and opened the drawer, and there she found what she was looking for—a diary. On the cover was written messily, _"If anyone finds this, take it to Caroline Swall of Aperture Science, whatever condition she may be in."_

Intrigued, Chell opened the diary to the first page and began to read.

"_Caroline, those idiots downstairs never got it to work, and I don't have much time. I'm not gonna make it, so you have to do it for me._

_I love you, but Aperture Science is more important. It has to go on, and you're the only person I trust. If you find this, I hope you did it, for Science._

_But there's something else, too. Remember when those molasses-moles got free and started eating everything they could get their mangy paws on? Ah...fun times. But what we had to do then, I had to do it again now. It's on a desk in the bedroom of that old farmhouse near the back exit. That's where I'm writing this note, so if you found it here, then you know. You can never have enough ponchos._

_The future of Aperture Science depends on you. I hope it helps."_

She finished reading and turned to the next page, but there was nothing on it._ What, that's it? What the hell is he trying to say?_ The rest of the book was completely empty, and Chell was baffled; it couldn't possibly have been more vague. At least now she could be pretty certain this was Cave Johnson, but there wasn't anything like this in any of the recordings she'd heard in Old Aperture...maybe he went crazy towards the end?

Then again..._'You can never have enough ponchos.'_ Chell mulled over the phrase. It sounded like it might be a passcode, but for what, she had no idea. It couldn't be for the passage downstairs; it'd be pointless to write it down here. She shifted all the paper from the desk to the floor, but her first impression had been correct; there wasn't anything else. So what was he talking about?

"_Caroline Swall...whatever condition she may be in."_ Apparently he'd already decided to have her replace him in the plans for GLaDOS, but there was definitely something else he was trying to say. _What are you on about, crazy man? _she wondered, looking at the corpse beside her. _Great. Talking to a dead guy._ Chell shook her head as she finally exited the room. Key in hand, she walked down the stairs and out the front door.

Thankfully, the small shed outside near the truck had a container of extra gasoline, along with a bunch of miscellaneous tools and materials. After refueling the vehicle, Chell opened the door and climbed into the seat, excited about finally making some headway into exploring the world. She turned the key, and...nothing. _Uh-oh._ Chell jumped out of the truck and walked to the front to open the hood.

The battery was missing._ Dammit!_ She grimaced. _Did I just waste a bunch of time in this old shack for nothing?_ Only now did Chell realise how much she was relying on that truck. _There was never even a good chance of it working...ugh._

Chell looked up at the sky in mild frustration. How much time did she have before she really needed to eat? The ALF maintained sustenance for several days, but it was absorbed just like normal food by the body—she was used to her stomach being empty most of the time, so she had no way of knowing when the ALF was wearing off until the effects of malnutrition set in.

_Dammit, I am NOT going back there to ask _her_ for help unless that's absolutely the only option left_, Chell decided, glaring at the wheat field. _The road it is_. She grabbed the empty fuel container and went inside to rinse it out as thoroughly as possible, then filled it with water.

And so she left the rundown farm through the fence gate, hoping to find a town or a village somewhere along the dirt road. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Next: Chell finds a town, but it's not _quite_ what she had in mind.

A/N: I tried loosening up my narrative in this chapter; I think it's a little less boring, even if there's still not much happening. What did you think? The return to Aperture is coming soon. Please review!


	3. Outside III

To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.

-Bertrand Russell

—

It was around noon on the day after she'd left the farm, and Chell was starting to worry, just a little. _I should have turned back a while ago. I'm running out of water...what if I don't find food soon enough?_ She hesitated.

She'd been traveling for over a day, first on the dirt path, then alongside the narrow asphalt farm-to-market it joined up with. She'd been hoping that on the larger road there would be at least a few cars that might help her, but so far, there hadn't been any traffic at all.

_I'm _not_ going to admit defeat._ Chell furiously shook her head and resumed walking. _I've been free for a whopping two days. If I can just get to a rest stop or something, I'll be fine._

The most annoying thing about traveling out in the open like this—other than progressing painfully slowly—wasn't the dull, repetitive motion of walking. It was the sound of the wind in the bushes and trees. At first it was nice; it's one of the great pleasures of being in the outdoors and away from civilization, but after hours upon hours of hearing _nothing_ but the constant _whoosh...WHOOSH...whoo-oosh..._ of the breeze, it was driving Chell insane. There was no one to speak to, no music, and she couldn't even sing or hum to herself to interrupt the constant _noise_.

There really wasn't anything to do but just think. Fortunately, there was plenty to think about.

Chell sighed as she trudged on along the side of the road. If she was honest with herself, part of her stubborn refusal to ask GLaDOS for help stemmed from fear: fear of GLaDOS and the facility in general, but most of all—fear of being trapped, again, with no way out. GLaDOS had let her go, yes, but it had been out of dispassionate weariness, not mercy, and certainly not forgiveness.

From the moment she'd been pulled out of stasis, Chell had had to constantly watch her back, check everywhere for traps, and pretty much do everything in her power just to not die. How long had she spent in Aperture as a test subject? This second time had only been a few days, but the first time...the first time had been at least a year. _A year of being a guinea pig, a lab rat...a toy for GLaDOS's entertainment_. Never again.

In the back of her mind, though, there was a greater question; one that had been weighing her down since she'd left the facility. _How, _how_ did I end up there?_ Her lack of memory was like a constant prickling in her side, always present, incessant in its nagging for attention. Chell had no idea who she was or where she was from; she hadn't for a long time, but over the last two days the mystery of her past just seemed to grow and grow until it overshadowed all her thoughts, marring her enjoyment and appreciation for her newfound freedom.

_What does it matter? The past's the past. It never bothered me before; why can't I stop thinking about it now? Does it matter if I was actually adopted? Who cares whether I grew up in California or New York, whether I played the piano or played soccer, whether I had brothers or sisters? What matters is now..._but no matter what she told herself, the prickle remained.

GLaDOS's words came back to her. _"You're not a good person, you know. Good people _don't _end up here"._ It was probably just one of the many insults and jabs GLaDOS constantly threw at her, but still...there was no way of knowing. What if it was true?

Chell was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn't see the sign until she almost walked into it.

**Prall - 15**

She stood there for a moment, bemused, and then it registered. _Fifteen...fifteen miles to the next town! I can make that before nightfall! _she realised. Chell picked up her pace, reinvigorated at the prospect of seeing other people.

The next few hours whizzed by now that Chell knew she was getting close to a town. She had no money, no identification, nothing other than an empty tank of water and her jumpsuit with "Aperture" emblazoned on it, but she didn't care. _I'm going to see an actual human being for the first time in...well, who knows how long._

The sun was setting when Chell caught sight of Prall—it looked like it was a smaller village. Despite her fatigue, she started running down the small hill she'd seen it from, and was approaching the outskirts within a half hour. Out of breath, she finally slowed down and saw a sign to the side of the road said, "Prall, MI, pop. 5,780". A small part of her was relieved to finally have a sense of where she was. _So I'm in Michigan? Hopefully the people here are nice to strangers._

Going forward, she passed a few farms, and gradually houses began to pop up along the road, more and more frequently as she entered the town proper.

As she ventured further into town though, Chell noticed a distinct lack of people or traffic. _Where is everyone?_ Was it some sort of holiday? Perhaps the town was a little eccentric, or there was an event being hosted that everyone was attending. Maybe some sort of ceremony?

And then she actually looked at the buildings.

There was a subtle change in the way the town felt at that point. There were no signs of people—anywhere. Any shops or stores she passed by were closed. It was turning night, and there were no streetlamps or indoor lights on. All of a sudden, the town took on an eerie, almost menacing presence.

_Please...let there be somebody,_ she thought with a sinking feeling. She left the sidewalk and walked up to the gas station on the corner of the intersection. _No..._

The price signs were blank. A few of the windows were boarded up—some of them were broken—and the building itself looked pretty beaten up. Chell quickly walked over to the nearby strip mall and found it to be in the same condition. By the fading sunlight, now that she was paying attention, she could see all the details she'd missed in her earlier excitement. Everywhere, all the buildings looked abandoned or broken into, and some were definitely close to collapse. Still, she continued running from house to house, from shop to shop, hoping to find some sign of human activity, trying to fight off a growing sense of despair.

_No one...there's no one here._ Eventually Chell had to admit that the town of Prall, Michigan, had been abandoned for a very, very long time.

This wasn't like that old farm where she'd found Cave Johnson; this was an _entire_ _town_—five thousand people that just...left. What happened? She went over to the nearest convenience store and entered slowly through a window. It was actually pretty nerve-wracking now that she knew how alone she was—and _didn't _know what had made everyone leave.

Dusk was quickly turning to night, and it was almost impossible to see anything in the store, but from what little light there was, Chell could see that the place was a mess. The cash register had been ransacked, most of the shelves were empty and had toppled over, and all the doors in the refrigerated aisles were broken or missing completely. She jumped from the noise as she stepped on an empty plastic bag of crisps, her heart taking a sudden and painful leap in her chest. _Dear god...if that had been a trap in Aperture, I'd be dead._ Chell took a deep breath, chastising herself for not paying attention, and now saw that the ground was littered with wrappers and empty bags of food and other materials. _The shop wasn't abandoned or shut down_, she realised,_ it was stripped and robbed for all its worth._

How long ago did this happen? There had to be some food _somewhere_ in town, but the issue again would be whether it was still edible. She turned over and searched through all the junk on the floor for anything that could be food, but there wasn't anything. Chell couldn't even explore the entire building because it was so dark towards the back, but things didn't look promising.

_Maybe...maybe one of the farms outside of town has some vegetables left,_ she considered. It seemed reasonable, and it was certainly better than looking through all the houses one by one. She spotted a newspaper stand next to the entrance of the store on her way out and busted it open, grabbing a copy of what was undoubtedly the last publication before disaster had struck. _I'll have to read this tomorrow when the sun comes up._

As Chell walked back the way she came, she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings. It was probably unnecessary, but the quiet, eerie structures all around her were a little too reminiscent of Aperture for comfort. It almost seemed as though all the houses were leaning in and staring, taunting her to come closer. She shivered slightly and walked faster.

As she got to the edge of town, Chell could see the small farms up ahead. Even by moonlight, the closest one looked to be in much better shape than the one outside of Aperture (although that wasn't saying much), and there were indeed some plants around the back. _I think I'll wait till day to explore any more buildings...I don't think I could handle seeing another dead body right now._ Chell was sure she didn't need to be quiet, but all the same, she gingerly opened the rusty metal gate hoping it wouldn't be too loud.

The field out back was mostly empty, with a few stalks of what looked like tomatoes remaining, and closer to the farm there was a small patch of vegetables with more variety. It wasn't much, but considering the state of the town, Chell was surprised to find even this. She approached the vegetable patch and considered her options.

_I'm gonna have to eat everything raw, so...probably some tomatoes and carrots, if I find any,_ she decided. After managing to find only tomatoes, she went over to the hose and turned it open—some water spurted out and she quickly washed her small collection before it stopped.

Chell sat down against the brick wall of the farm, finally relaxing slightly after two days of walking. She was a little hesitant to eat at first, and as she bit into the first tomato, the flavor overwhelmed her. In fact, taste in general was so foreign to her that she almost spit it out, but then..._This...oh my god._ The tomato was dirty and probably immature, or it may have been spoiled for all she knew, but it was the most delicious thing she could ever remember eating. After a year of nothing but bland, tasteless ALF and having an empty stomach for most of that time, she quickly devoured the rest of her gathered tomatoes.

She sighed. The town was empty, but at least she'd found something to eat. There really wasn't much else to do until morning—exploring for information and more food would have to wait, so Chell settled down under the awning in the backyard to sleep for the rest of the night. All in all, things were still looking better than yesterday or the day before. Tomorrow there'd be a lot more time to look for a better means of sustenance, as well as answers.

She stretched and sat back on one of the old, crusty camping chairs, and eventually fell asleep.

—

"_Can you come here for a moment, sweetie?"_

_The little girl looked up from the toys she'd been playing with, separate from the other children._

_"Honey, this is Mr. Stepp. Do you want him to be your daddy?"_

_The girl was confused. She got up and hesitantly walked over to the two adults looking at her. "Does he want to be my daddy?"_

_The man leaned down to face the little girl, and said, "I'd like that very much. Do you want to leave this place, once and for all? Have a family, get to go to school, meet new friends?"_

_The girl nodded shyly, "I'd like that," and the man smiled._

_The woman looked satisfied. "Well then, let's get this started, shall we? Why don't you wait right here honey, we'll be right back."_

_The scene changed when they came back, though. The man was angry. "I thought it was fixed!" he yelled at the lady, who looked sick._

_"There's no reason to be upset. It's not completely unexpected or irreversible; we just need time for-"_

_"There's no time!" interrupted the man._

_The girl sat there, forgotten, as more adults flooded the now circular room, scrambling to get something done, or maybe undone._

_"You there!" _

_A woman in a white lab coat suddenly pointed at her. "Come here!"_

_"I don't wanna!" shouted the little girl as a bunch of grown-ups seized her and dragged her, kicking and screaming, over to a big, scary contraption._

_"It's for the best, you'll help us..."_

_All of a sudden she was back in the first room, and a huge metal claw burst through the ceiling, wrapping around the two adults and flinging them into the wall. Through the hole in the roof, the little girl stared in terror at a giant machine._

_"You monster."_

_—_

It was raining heavily when Chell jerked awake. _Another nightmare...?_ She shook her head. _That one was a lot weirder than the first._

She considered the first part. _Mr. Stepp...that name seems familiar. Was that a real memory? Did he adopt me?_ She could have groaned in frustration...it was becoming obvious that she'd have to find a way to learn more about her past. Maybe she could look into census records in another city.

_Well, I'll have to wait until the rain stops to do anything,_ she thought. Chell moved to enter the abandoned house through the backdoor, but spotted the newspaper she'd brought with her yesterday. The headline caught her eye and she sat down to read it, in shock.

_**Earth Surrenders After Seven-Hour War  
**to The Combine unleashed by the portal storm._

"The various governments and combined militaries of the world were woefully inadequate against the extraterrestrial force that attacked without warning on Monday. As of today, there is no word on how this came about, but one thing can now be ascertained without a doubt: we were not alone in the universe. The portal storm that preceded the onslaught seems to have given the entity—now dubbed "The Combine"—some manner of entry into the immediate vicinity of the Earth. After seven hours of brutal, unrelenting massacre, the United Nations finally came to a unanimous agreement and managed to communicate surrender to The Combine. The terms of this surrender are still being negotiated, but one thing is clear. Life on Earth is about to undergo a drastic change."

_The Combine...? Seven-Hour War...?_ The rest of the newspaper was nothing but elaboration on the same story. She frowned. _It can't be. The newspaper was published, society didn't crumble. But after... _If she hadn't just seen Prall, she would have thought this a prank, but it explained why the small town would be in such disarray, and it wasn't much more unbelievable than a murderous supercomputer. The paper had even mentioned some type of portal as the method of contact. _I guess there goes the census records options_...Chell's heart sank. It had been bad enough to find the town empty and virtually in ruins, but to think that was the state of the entire planet...

The rain, with its soft pitter-patter, suddenly seemed anything but relaxing. Was it true? Did Earth not belong to humanity anymore? She looked out at the sky, as if she would suddenly see some sign of the alien occupation. The date on the newspaper said 2009, and it looked pretty old and yellowed. How long ago did this happen? _How long was I in the relaxation chamber...?_ Did she just escape one prison, only to be taken captive by an even more foreign entity?

_GLaDOS_...Chell crunched up the newspaper in her fists. She had to have known. Why else would she let her go so easily? She didn't want to deal with the "lunatic", so she just sent her outside where the problem would take care of itself.

_What am I supposed to do now?_ she wondered, aghast. If any other nearby cities were in a similar state...if the whole world was in a similar state...what could she do? Where would she go? In less than twenty-four hours, she'd gone from elation at the prospect of encountering other people, to an almost crushing despair.

Chell sighed as she tried to decide on a course of action. After the rain stopped, she'd investigate the rest of the city to see if there was any more information. If there wasn't...if she couldn't be sure she'd have a reliable source of food or water..._there's nothing for it._ She would have to go back to Aperture and ask what the hell was going on, whether there was any hope of surviving on the surface. _And they _had_ to have kept test subject records..._she realized. Chell knew she wouldn't get any rest until she learned about her past, too, and this was the only sure way to go about it. She'd investigate the city, but she was sure there wasn't going to be anything but more of what she'd already seen.

She just hoped GLaDOS wouldn't try to kill her _too_ soon.

* * *

A/N: This chapter feels a bit rushed to me...I'm going to have to take more time to write, both because the end of the semester is approaching, and because now that the main plot is underway, I'll have to make sure I keep in line with everything that I've planned out. The main issue I have with this chapter is the sudden transitions in tone, I think. I'll have to focus on that more in future chapters. Anyway, please review.


	4. What am I doing?

_How do you build a bridge  
if you can't find the gap?  
-anonymous_

The old shed had been very hard to locate again, hidden within the overgrown stalks of the immense wheat field. After two more days of walking around, first to make a cursory exploration of the rest of Prall, then finally to head back to this entrance of Aperture Science, Chell stood with her hand poised to knock on the door.

_Do I really want to do this?_

It was pretty pointless to be second-guessing her decision to return, now that she'd come all the way, but there was always the chance that GLaDOS would react violently in some unexpected manner—it had certainly happened before. The memories of all her experiences as a test subject flooded back to her, undermining her determination to confront the AI and finally get some answers. The companion cube on the ground off to the side wasn't really helping. She was out of options though, and she couldn't really afford to spend all day out here waffling back and forth, but still she hesitated...

"Are you hoping to catch the Aperture Science Selective Backdoor Emergency Exit on fire by staring at it? You can't eat metal, you know." The synthesized feminine voice rang out from tinny speakers in the shed. Chell froze in surprise, then rolled her eyes and looked around for the camera GLaDOS was watching her from. She spotted it sticking out from under the roof of the shed.

After five days of freedom, it felt surreal to hear that voice again. Here she was, not only trying to get in contact with the AI, but also to re-enter the facility she controlled. _I must be suicidal to have come back here._

"Well? What are you doing? I'm not letting you back in only to have you wreck my facility again—which I'm still repairing, by the way. There are plenty of other things you can destroy now that you're out there, but I suppose I should have known you wouldn't comprehend—" GLaDOS stopped when Chell thrusted the newspaper she'd brought with her up close to the camera. The headline declaring humanity's surrender had to be clearly visible, because GLaDOS remained silent for several seconds.

Chell lowered the paper and glared directly into the camera, daring her to make another flippant comment.

GLaDOS sounded just slightly unsettled when she spoke again, despite her words. "...I don't know what prompted you to create this obviously contrived piece of media, but the Enrichment Center is required by law to acknowledge all potential safety concerns brought to its attention. Your concern is appreciated and will be addressed properly." After it seemed like GLaDOS wouldn't say any more, Chell rapped on the door of the shed, looking at the camera meaningfully.

"If you are under the impression that you will be allowed to enter the facility, the Enrichment Center would like to reiterate that you, [Subject Name Here], have been deemed unfit for testing," the speakers responded.

She felt a small chill at those words. _Unfit for testing_...that was very similar to the start of her first nightmare, but Chell shoved that thought to the back of her mind. She'd come all the way here, she wasn't about to back off now. She knocked again, harder than before, and stepped back with her arms crossed.

She heard what may have been a sigh from the speakers, but the door suddenly swung open, so apparently GLaDOS was at least a little interested in what she'd found. As she rode the elevator down the dark shaft, Chell wondered what the giant machine would do. It seemed that GLaDOS _hadn't_ known about the portal storm or The Combine, judging from her surprised reaction. Did it happen during the time GLaDOS was...non-functional? It was hard to imagine her not knowing about...well, anything, really.

Chell reached the AI's chamber and the elevator doors opened. As soon as she stepped out, though, big metal claws reached out and dragged her over to the wall facing GLaDOS, keeping her firmly in place. Eyes widening, she started struggling as much as she could against the restraints, looking for an escape. _No! Nononono..._

"Oh, _relax,_" the giant machine said exasperatedly. "Why would I let you back in here after I released you, only to kill you? I just need to make sure _you_ don't try to kill _me._"

The former test subject warily looked up at her former captor—well, semi-former. It was a strange feeling, being right there next to the AI and not having to fight for her life. It was entirely different from the short moment before she was freed, because this time, she had come under her own volition. She still wasn't sure this hadn't been a huge mistake. It was far too similar to her nightmare for comfort.

GLaDOS eyed her with her yellow optic. "Now, I assume you aren't so brain-damaged and barbaric as to be illiterate." Chell gave her a dirty look, but she was unfazed. "You did bring the newspaper and seem to be distressed by its contents, after all," she said as a strange looking keyboard was pushed in front of Chell. "So why, pray tell, did you insist on entering?"

Her arms were freed from the claws and she reached out to the keyboard, but Chell found herself at a loss as to how to explain her motivations. She wanted knowledge—knowledge about the state of the world, knowledge about her past, and most of all, knowledge about where to go from here. GLaDOS couldn't provide all those things, and she probably shouldn't be her primary source for them, either, but...this place was a known entity. Now that she was back at Aperture, Chell realized how lost she'd been outside—both physically and emotionally. She wouldn't be able to really thrive until she got some answers, as well as closure for this chapter of her life. She wasn't sure how to explain that to the AI, though, nor did she really want to.

_"Why didn't you ever give me a keyboard before?"_ Chell finally typed (excruciatingly slowly). GLaDOS shifted backwards in what may have been surprise, as if she hadn't really expected a coherent response.

"Obviously, there was never a situation in which it would have been both useful and practical," she replied. "Furthermore, I didn't want your dirty little paws mucking up any more sensitive equipment. Now answer my question."

Chell asked another question instead. _"Is the newspaper true?"_

Before it was fully typed out, GLaDOS leaned forward and back agitatedly, finally leaning in close to observe Chell. "Well, I wouldn't know, would I? _Somebody_ decided to murder me, disrupting the advancement of Science by seventy one years, three months, two weeks and six days, according to the Aperture Science Reserve-Power-Powered Clock. Anything could have happened during that time. I still can't believe you tried to do it again, considering the as yet unquantified ramifications of your actions." GLaDOS moved back to her regular position. "Do try not to do it a third time, will you?" she said snidely.

Chell was flabbergasted. She could tell she'd been out for a long time, just from the initial overgrown and worn down appearance of the test chambers, but seventy years?

GLaDOS ignored Chell's reaction. "As for the state of the human race, I have no way of knowing whether those events occurred. I won't be able to communicate with my satellites until I re-engage all of the facility's main functions. Even then, I don't know if they have survived this long without any trajectory correction and systems maintenance," she said coldly. "Now, answer my question. _Why did you come back?_" And this time Chell could actually hear some anger in her voice.

Still trying to recover from the most recent revelation she'd had during the past several days, Chell hesitated. Finally, she decided on the simplest answer.

_"I needed your help."_

GLaDOS remained completely still and silent, her optic trained on her. Chell maintained her gaze without wavering, although she felt a little uneasy in anticipation of her reaction. After what seemed like minutes of silence, the AI spoke.

"You're serious."

Chell cringed.

"After murdering me, leaving my facility in shambles, awakening me only to try again, then expelling me from my body into a potato to put an idiot in charge, very nearly resulting in the complete destruction of everything beyond hope of repair..._you come back to ask for help?_ After I let you leave, when I should have killed you? You are brain-damaged beyond all comprehension."

GLaDOS had started rocking back and forth during her tirade, slowly at first, but then increasing in violence until the fastenings keeping her suspended from the ceiling began creaking under the strain. She stopped suddenly, and made a slow swooping motion, trying to calm down.

"Why on Earth do you think I would help you?"

Carefully, Chell slowly typed out, _"It's not much, and you did pull me back out of s—"_

"That was on a whim, undoubtedly brought on by the resurfacing of Caroline in my system. But I helped you, granted. What could you even need help with _now?_ There's nothing for you here. I believe I have made that perfectly clear."

Somewhat frustrated at not being able to communicate at the speed of regular speech, Chell tried to elaborate before being interrupted again. _"I need answers. Science."_ It was a longshot, but technically, science was nothing but searching for answers.

GLaDOS examined her, and Chell could almost feel the derision pouring from her. "That's funny. You never seemed too interested in Science before. In fact, the only interest you really showed was in its impediment."

She sighed. This wasn't getting anywhere. Chell decided to just out with the truth.

_"I need to know about the state of the world. About myself. I'm can't remember anyth—"_

"Interesting. You know, it's not often people actually admit to being mentally...unique, but I suppose you deserve some credit for that."

_There it is,_ Chell thought exasperatedly.

"I can't help you recover memories, obviously. However..." GLaDOS paused to consider. "I need to record any significant changes in the natural environment and human society on the surface, and considering how long it's been since the previous log, that will take a very long time."

GLaDOS looked at her pointedly. "If you want to find out what's happened in the last seventy years, then you will have to contribute to fixing my facility. It's the least you could do, really. Otherwise, you will have to leave."

Chell shifted, starting to feel some discomfort from the restraining claw arms.

_Is it worth it?_ she wondered. She hadn't considered the possibility of having to stay in the facility for an extended period of time, but if she was staying for however long it took to get most of it back online, then..._that could be weeks._ There were too many unknowns. How could she be sure GLaDOS wouldn't try to kill her? Could she even help in fixing this enormous monstrosity of a facility?

"_Where would I stay?"_ she typed slowly. _"What would I do?"_

GLaDOS responded after a moment. "There are numerous unoccupied relaxation chambers in the Employee Wellness and Habitation Center. Just pick an empty one. Obviously the one you stay in won't be activated. You will, however, be under constant observation to ensure you don't get any...ideas."

_Come on..._She _really_ needed to point out that GLaDOS was the one that tried to kill her first, a detail the AI seemed to constantly ignore...although perhaps now wasn't the best time.

"As for your tasks...well, there are maintenance shafts, ventilation ducts, and various other places that you would actually be better suited to access than any of my current robots...as hard as that is to believe. Trust me, you'll be busy; don't expect to be allowed to lounge around all day, eating, or sleeping, or...whatever it is you do in your spare time." GLaDOS paused. "Perhaps you might help explore and collect information from the old facility. I don't want to lose any of my own valuable robots down there, after all," she continued.

_No, we wouldn't want that,_ Chell thought sarcastically. GLaDOS didn't seem to think she could help with her memories, but she had constantly made comments about her file while testing...it may have been just a joke, but there had to be an actual file of her somewhere. She'd have to ask about that later. For now...

_"I'll stay,"_ she typed, against her better judgement.

"Oh good," GLaDOS said flatly. "Well, Orange and Blue will escort you to a Relaxation Chamber. I'll be watching, so _don't try anything._"

The horrible claw arms finally released her fully, and Chell rubbed the painful indents they'd left on her torso and legs. Two robots, the ones she'd seen right before leaving, actually, entered the chamber, making little chittering noises to each other. _Orange and Blue_...she smirked. _What original names._

She typed one last thing into the keyboard. _"I haven't eaten."_

GLaDOS did the equivalent of rolling her eyes and responded, "Oh, of course. How rude of me. Don't worry, you'll be fed soon. Now go along; we've spent far too much time talking as it is. You will be summoned in approximately eight hours."

Chell recognized the obvious dismissal and turned hesitantly towards the robots. They looked at her for a moment with an almost childlike curiosity, and then the short round one...Blue...led the way out.

An hour later, Chell was in her Relaxation Chamber, mechanically ingesting some cubes of bland, grey, spongy ALF. It kind of reminded her of tofu, actually, but it had even less taste. She sighed as she popped the last bit into her mouth, thinking of the incomparably rich vegetables she'd enjoyed over the past couple of days. The camera on the ceiling in the corner of the room followed her every move. Chell didn't think she'd get a wink of sleep, even though she knew she'd have to get up in less than seven hours.

_Was it worth it?_ she asked herself again. The colorless hallways, the sterile smell of plastics...it was all too familiar. She turned off the lamp and laid back on the bed, trying to relax. _Hopefully I'll be out of here again in a few weeks...ready to move on, finally._

After several hours, Chell finally succumbed into a fitful sleep, unsure of what she would face in the morning.

—

GLaDOS observed her former test-subject through the camera in the chamber. Was she telling the truth? Did she come here only to find out about the past? There hadn't been any detectable physiological signs of deceit during their small...discussion...but you could never be too sure with humans.

"Orange, Blue." She called the robots to attention. "The pipes in Enrichment Center sector 92, level 24, are to be repaired next. There are multiple breaches in..." Even as she listed instructions for the repairs, though, GLaDOS kept a watchful eye on the human. Never trust a human. Especially one that comes to you willingly. Never trust a human...

* * *

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I tried to set the tone for Chell's and GLaDOS's interactions, as well as dropping a few more hints towards where the story is going (I hope I wasn't too heavy-handed). Not much happened, and I reverted back to the style I'm most comfortable with here. I edited the ending to the third chapter a bit, but I'm still not happy with how it turned out. I have to go more slowly in improving my prose, I think.

I'd like to thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited, and followed my story; it really means a lot. Special note goes to Jamiwami, for your extended and detailed reviews. Any feedback is appreciated, of course. Thank you, all of you!


	5. Where am I going?

A/N: Sorry this took so long. First I was stressed over finals, and then a few weeks ago my grandmother fell ill. She'd been doing poorly for a while, so it wasn't a surprise, but a few days ago she was hospitalized after a stroke, and with her kidneys failing, it doesn't look like she'll recover. So the next chapter might be a while also.

Anyway, I hope this chapter isn't boring. It's the longest so far, and I'm generally satisfied with how it turned out, but it might drag a bit in some sections. Don't worry, the plot will pick up soon. I think next chapter you'll see some action, and Chell and GLaDOS will have their first meaningful conversation (which is long overdue, of course). Until then, I hope you enjoy. Please review, it really does motivate.

* * *

_Life is like riding a bicycle._

_To keep your balance, you must keep moving._

_-Albert Einstein_

"No, no, _NO,_ not like that!" GLaDOS cried through the small speakers on her headband. Chell shifted in the cramped space and repositioned the replacement part, but it still didn't fit. "Oh, now look what you've done. Can't you follow instructions? You're doing irreparable harm to sensitive equipment!" she growled.

They'd been at it for hours with minimal progress, and Chell was growing exceedingly frustrated with each passing moment. She'd been given a brief overview of the circuit breaker panel she'd be working on before starting, and it hadn't looked too complicated, but now that she was actually trying to fix the blasted thing, it was a complete failure. She couldn't talk, she couldn't communicate back to GLaDOS, and the supercomputer was trying to direct her based on blurry feed from a small camera attached to the old headband she was wearing.

_This is impossible! I have to be able to talk, or sign, or...something!_

Chell threw the component down angrily and took off the headband, crawling back out of the cramped access chute. Orange and Blue were waiting for her, obviously there to monitor her and make sure she didn't revert back to her "natural barbaric tendencies". They chattered to each other nervously when she came out, focusing on her with mild concern.

She held the camera up close to her face and scowled, then looked at Orange and Blue and jerked her thumb in the direction of GLaDOS's chamber.

The AI spoke up as Chell started walking, flanked by the two androids. "You know we have to get that panel fixed; I can't fully power the facility without the main reactor running". Her tone hardened. "If this is a sabotage attempt, or—" Chell gave the camera another withering glare.

"Well you can't say my reservations are unfounded," GLaDOS sniffed.

When the group of three arrived at GLaDOS's chamber a few minutes later, the human beckoned for the keyboard impatiently.

"What could possibly be so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

Chell typed out in frustration, "_I have to be able to talk when you give directions—"_

"It's not my fault you don't understand simple instructions," GLaDOS snapped.

"_—to say what's wrong. This isn't working. I'll help but I can't like this."_ It was all well and good for GLaDOS to guide her through how the repair _should_ be done, but there would always be problems that weren't covered in the 'manual'.

"Fine then," GLaDOS sighed theatrically, "what do you suggest?"

"_...pen and paper?"_

"Really. This is the face I'd be making right now if I were human, by the way." The face of a woman in comical disbelief appeared on the screens around the room. "In case you've forgotten, we're in an advanced facility with state of the art equipment. How could you even suggest something so horrendously barbaric?"

The screens went blank again and GLaDOS continued after a pause. "I suppose you won't learn sign language at a reasonable pace," she said slowly. "And given how slowly you type, it's hopeless to expect you to send troubleshooting data through any of the serviceman interfaces. Perhaps writing is the best option."

"Of course, you won't have to resort to using actual _paper_." The computer shook her headpiece in disgust. "There should be Aperture Science Digital Notepads in some of the offices." GLaDOS swiveled towards Orange and Blue, who had been waiting patiently at the entrance. "Take her to look in the offices for Sector 17 first. That's where most of the employees were when I first started the neurotoxin, after all."

Chell shivered. The way she mentioned it so casually reminded her how fine a line she was treading, when she didn't even know where the line was. The only form of expression GLaDOS ever exhibited was in her voice or in her movements. At any time she could get fed up and just kill her, and Chell was again going to push the limit...

"_It would really help if I had the portal—"_

"Absolutely not." And there was that silky, dangerous tone she was so familiar with. "You are never going anywhere _near_ that particular device again, so if that's your goal, you're better off just leaving this place now." GLaDOS glared at her.

"_It'll be great to talk without being interrupted every five seconds."_

GLaDOS snorted, but otherwise didn't respond to her comment. "Follow Orange and Blue, and don't wander."

—

_It's so quiet..._ Chell thought as she followed the two androids through the deserted facility. The chutes were inactive and most of the catwalks were dark from having their power diverted. The androids' optics cast creepy shadows as they walked, and their clinking limbs echoed in the silence, adding to the effect.

It almost felt wrong to be walking so slowly, as if some kind of monster would suddenly swoop in and attack them. _Although...if we don't get back soon, GLaDOS will be mad, so there's that,_ Chell thought dryly. Hopefully the supercomputer's streak of "kindness" would continue.

After passing a final giant crevice into the abyss, the group of three arrived at a sign that said, "Sector 17, Military Turret Research and Development". _I guess it makes sense that all the employees would be working on turrets to stop GLaDOS as she slowly killed them..._

As they walked into the main structure, Chell was just glad to be out of the vast open space that contained Aperture's piping and machinery. Orange and Blue certainly seemed more comfortable; they slowly resumed chattering quietly to each other. They led her into a room with a huge array of cubicles lit by dingy bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and turned around to face her.

She raised an eyebrow. _What, I'm supposed to look for a notepad in this huge mess?_ There were piles of paper and broken office furniture scattered all over the dirty floor tiles. Even the modular cubicle walls had mostly been knocked down. Clearly, the last people to occupy this area had been in chaos.

As she stepped forward, keeping an eye out for anything useful, Chell speculated as to how the employees had spent their final moments. Judging from the lack of bodies, they must have all made it out of there, but GLaDOS wouldn't have let them escape the facility. Having fought for her own life far too often, the former test subject felt a sense of camaraderie with the nameless dead scientists. Had they persevered, or did they lose hope? How long did they survive with the rogue AI—their own creation—attacking them? Those people had no idea what they'd unleashed. She shook her head, trying to dispel her dark thoughts.

Chell went back to where Orange and Blue were watching from and carved into the wall with a jagged piece of metal, _"you gonna help or not?"_ They looked at each other; Orange shrugged, and they joined her in digging through all the junk.

Eventually they had to move on; it was clear that no piece of technology would have survived intact there. The second space down the hallway was much the same, and the third was just a data center. The last door led to a single office with a few corpses in it, but nothing else.

_I'm starting to regret this decision..._ Chell thought queasily.

Having again found nothing, they continued their search. They were travelling along the edge of another deep rift when she suddenly recognized where they were—she'd seen it from above while on the run with Wheatley. There was actually a control room somewhere nearby that she remembered was full of discarded electronics. Chell stepped in front of the androids and waved for them to follow her, but Blue grabbed her arm and cautiously pulled her towards himself. _Oh, right. They're 'watching' me._ She sighed and, slowly this time, led them into the intersection up ahead.

As she tried to find her way back to the path she'd followed before, Chell noticed Orange and Blue getting a little more fidgety...nervous, almost. _They think I'm planning something with the turrets_, she realized. This was actually pretty near the turret manufacturing line. In all honesty, though, Chell was probably more nervous than they were—not because she felt danger, but because of the memories of panic and anxiety brought up by being here. _Manufacturing probably isn't even operational right now._ She urged them forward. _I'd bet these guys haven't been through half the crap I have. Let's get the damn notepad and get out of here._

They were walking down yet another poorly-lit hallway, this one lined with small windows on either side onlooking transportation pipes, when a soft, high-pitched voice sounded.

"Hello?"

_Shit!_ Chell made a slight rasping noise and immediately ducked down and rolled. She looked around wildly for the source, but didn't see anything. As soon as she realized it was safe, she collapsed down against the wall, rubbing her elbow where she'd banged it.

The two androids shared a look and quickly took a guarded stance, apparently ready to restrain her if she attacked them, but Chell didn't pay them any mind; she was too busy concentrating on breathing and getting her heart rate under control. _God dammit, holy hell..._ She felt like she'd had a heart attack; the adrenaline still surging through her system was almost enough to make her pass out.

_Get it together, girl..._ Chell sat up and wiped the sweat off her forehead, panting slightly. She slowly stood up and the androids backed down, although they were still wary.

Logically, she knew that all the turrets had been reprogrammed to ignore her, but that voice...even if her entire time here went perfectly smoothly and she got back out without a hitch, Chell knew she'd be having nightmares of that deceptively serene, child-like voice for years. And to hear it at that moment was just so startling, especially after the eerie silence.

"I'm sorry..." the voice said faintly.

Chell perked up at that. _What? It just apologized—is that the one I saw before...?_ She remembered the odd little turret she'd rescued from the redemption line. Had she dropped it off around here? She didn't see it.

"I'm different!" it chirped, as if in agreement with her thoughts. Orange and Blue looked at each other and back at Chell, confused. She thought about trying to find it, but decided to continue the search, so she just shrugged in response. They walked on, Chell still trying to shake off the remaining jitteriness.

It was difficult to retrace her steps in the darkness, but finally they came across the control room she remembered. _This is going to take forever..._ The room was filled—almost to the ceiling in some places—with mountains of discarded devices and electronic parts; even if they found a notepad, there was no guarantee they'd recognize it for what it was in the dark. Chell shifted one of the smaller piles with her foot, and a flurry of cockroaches scurried away from their exposed hiding place. _Ugh..._

There were a few mishaps (like Chell trying to grab something from the top of a pile and crashing backwards into the androids), but finally, after over an hour, they found a small stash of company-issued notepads hidden in one of the cabinets. The room had been pretty much cleared, with a big pile of its contents now tossed outside. She took one of them and examined it, noticing how small and light it was. _So much work for this tiny thing, just so I can communicate...I'd bet it's not even worth it; GLaDOS doesn't much care for my thoughts anyway,_ she thought wryly.

The androids were leading the way back when Chell heard the turret speak as they passed it again: "It's so lonely..." It sounded almost sad.

She stopped walking suddenly. Orange looked at her, confused, and reached for her arm, but Chell ignored her, focused on the small pang of emotion somewhere in her chest. This turret...it did sound different from the others. They were all similarly soft-spoken, true, but this one seemed more...alive. It didn't adhere to the limited dialogue, and its voice was more expressive. If it was sentient, if it had feelings...Chell could imagine what it was like to be trapped in this dark, abandoned place, all alone. To have no one to talk to, no one to offer any comfort. It struck a little too close to home for her. _It's so lonely..._she echoed in her thoughts.

_I hope I don't regret this,_ she thought as she shook off Orange's arm and turned back towards where she'd heard the voice. It seemed to be on the other side of the wall, out in the open. Chell remembered setting it down near a gate, but perhaps all the tremors from the main reactor failing had pushed it here.

She found a small panel that led outside of the hallway and looked at the two androids for permission to venture out. They were just standing there, unmoving, so she shrugged and stepped through the hole.

"Hello!" the turret said cheerfully. It was on its side, precariously balanced on a ledge sticking out from the main structure.

Chell leaned down over the ledge and saw the abyss that separated individual sectors from each other. She quickly backed away. Without her longfall boots, any slip up would be sure death.

The former test subject wasn't really sure what to do now that she'd found the turret, but she just couldn't leave it here on its own. She started dragging it back from the edge. _Damn, these things are heavy without the portal gun..._ It just sat there, and Chell stared at it for a few minutes, wondering if it would say anything else. Eventually, it spoke up again. "You're sad," it said softly, "but even with everything removed, the flame still burns through the darkness."

_What?_

Chell inspected the turret curiously. Was it talking about her missing memories? With the spindly legs, smooth white exterior, and red optic, it _looked_ the same as all the others, but it was clearly unique. She'd never heard a turret say anything particularly interesting in the months she'd been a test subject, but this one—_What did it say before? Prometheus being pecked by birds...It won't be enough..._her eyes widened as she recalled another little blurb: _Her name is Caroline._

That was all before she'd descended into the bowels of Aperture with GLaDOS—before even the AI herself knew about her history. How did it know...?

"I'm different," it said again, this time more subdued.

_There it goes again! What the hell?_ Even if all those small comments were pure coincidence, the strange little turret definitely came across as knowing more than it possibly could. If Chell was going to drag it all the way back up with her, it deserved a name. _I'll call it Ora, for Oracle_, she decided with a smirk. _Now..._

Eventually, she was able to convince Blue to carry it up with them. It didn't say much—just a murmured "thank you"—but the former test subject was warming up to the idea of having it as a little companion. They were both outcasts, completely alone in this enormous place. Would GLaDOS let her keep it?

The entrance to the chamber opened as they arrived, and GLaDOS greeted them in her usual fashion.

"What could possibly have taken you so long? And what are you doing with _that?_"

Orange and Blue shifted nervously, and Blue dumped the turret on the ground. It made a loud _CLANK_.

"Oww..."

Chell glared at him, but reached out for the keyboard that was offered to her and turned to the AI.

She lifted up the thin device. _"It's kinda hard to find such a tiny thing in this place. Ask them,_" she pointed to the androids._ "They weren't even gonna help at first."_

"Well, you were the one that insisted on writing in the first place," GLaDOS responded callously. "So what are you doing bringing a turret back with you? While I can admire your tenacity, if nothing else, I assure you that in this case your warped desire for violence is completely misplaced. It's just a turret; torturing it will get you nowhere."

Chell ignored that last comment. _"No, it's..."_ she hesitated, but just settled on the turret's own description, _"it's different."_

GLaDOS cocked her headpiece in interest, and faced the androids. "What does she mean?"

The supercomputer started talking to the androids, apparently able to interpret their energetic chirping. From what Chell picked up, the androids didn't understand how unique little Ora was—most likely because they weren't there when it made those eerily accurate predictions. Should she reveal what it had said? If she did, GLaDOS might want to keep it for analysis, but if she didn't, the AI might think she was concocting some scheme for revenge.

GLaDOS finished her short exchange with the androids. "It's just a faulty sentry turret with damaged protocol. Of course it's different, but it's completely useless. It must have passed through the Evaluation Line when you and the moron sabotaged it."

"_Well, it's nice...I want to keep it."_

"Nice? To you?" she asked in suspicion. "Do you think it'll help you in some bizarre attack against me? Or are you really so desperate for company that you'll stoop to a malfunctioning turret?"

Chell looked over to the turret in question. Its little cover panels were closing and opening sporadically with clicking sounds, and it was looking around wildly from where it lay on its side. She didn't think it was malfunctioning though. It was nervous.

"_Yes,"_ she said resolutely. _"I want to be friends with it...her"_

GLaDOS looked at the turret, then the androids, and back at Chell. "Well, I see you've finally cracked," she said derisively. "Maybe the strain of working your pudgy little arms today was too much. Or come to think of it, you were probably overtaxed mentally by trying to fix the breaker panel. Either way, you get a chance to rest, because I'll have to make some modifications to the notepad so it can connect with my mainframe. Blue will return you to your room with your...friend. Orange, take the notepad and come here."

Blue walked over and softly pulled her towards the door, scooping up the Oracle turret on the way out. For having been created by GLaDOS, the two androids were surprisingly well-mannered. Chell was still a little miffed that he had dropped Ora though.

When they reached her Relaxation Chamber, Chell just motioned for him to set down the little robot near her bed, and went into the bathroom to prepare for sleep. _"I so wish we had actual food,"_ she grumbled as she brushed her teeth. She was looking forward to not having the almost constant, gnawing hunger from only eating ALF once a week.

After using the toilet, Chell slumped down on her bed and looked around the room morosely. _I clearly have some issues._ She thought back to how she'd overreacted to the turret's inquiring voice. It was to be expected, she supposed, considering everything she'd been through. Still, it was frustrating how easily unsettled she was when she wasn't actively fighting for her life. _When I get out of here for good, will this place follow me?_ From the little time she'd spent on the surface, the answer was yes.

"She's not alone." Ora's gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.

Chell jumped slightly in surprise, and looked at the turret to see it focusing its red optic on her. _She? Who's 'she'?_ Was the turret talking about her in a roundabout way? Chell hoped to god she wasn't talking about GLaDOS. _That_ would be a nightmare. She continued staring at Ora for a while, but it...she...didn't say anything else. Apparently the turret only talked when she felt like it.

Chell shook her head and lay down, turning off the lamp. As she was getting settled in bed though, she heard a soft, "goodnight, friend."

She went to sleep with a slight smile, the first in a long while. Maybe her stay here wouldn't be completely terrible.

* * *

One quick question: do you think I should change the genre from 'friendship' to 'romance'? I've said before, I want to try at romance, but if I feel like I can't do it realistically, or just plain can't write it, I won't force it. What do you think? Based on what you've read, do you think I could do it?

_Even if only to show_

_appreciation or disdain,_

_please review and let me know;_

_either way there's much to gain!_

Seriously though, even if it's only to tell me how stupid and cheesy that jingle was (which it was), reviews motivate me, and just make me happy that people are reading my story. Cheers.


	6. What are you doing?

Wow. Wow, okay, almost five thousand words before the author's notes. This is by far the longest chapter I've written by over a thousand words. I do hope you enjoy it. Unfortunately, the 'important conversation' has been shifted over to the next chapter. My grandmother did die a week ago exactly, so it's been quite hectic, but I managed to get this chapter done. I was quite close to her, despite being the farthest away physically, but I know she'd want me to be happy, so I'm doing my best to move on.

* * *

_No problem is too small or too trivial  
if we can really do something about it.  
-Richard Feynman_

4:30 AM.

The alarm clock sat there on the bedside table, taunting her with its dull red display, slowly counting down how much time she had left to try to go back to sleep. She could only lie there in the dark and watch through bleary eyes as the numbers ticked forward, inevitably, unfailingly, and it was infuriating. Try as she might, Chell knew she'd remain awake until GLaDOS called.

The nightmares wouldn't go away. They were always about running—from the turrets, from Wheatley, from GLaDOS, and sometimes from things she couldn't identify. Chell was sick of it. For the two weeks she'd been back in Aperture, every night was interrupted without fail. First by the nightmares, and then by—

"I can tell you're awake." _Dang it_. "You know, it's pretty sad to keep pretending you're asleep just to avoid work," GLaDOS's voice assaulted her ears from the speakers in her room. "Go on, then, get up. Orange will be there soon. You've been designated 500 grams of Aperture Science All-purpose Long-lasting Food-substitute today, so you _should_ be jumping for joy. Although it's good that you aren't. My poor facility isn't quite _that_ strong." Chell rolled her eyes. She just could never resist, could she?

If Chell could get some sleep, then she'd jump for joy. As it was, she groaned silently and stretched, arching her back, before reluctantly sitting up and dragging her legs over the side of the bed like dead weights. _There really is no point in staying in bed, I guess..._ Although, there wasn't much of a point in getting up either if she was going to be non-functional.

Despite her tiredness, she smiled slightly as she glanced at Ora, who had powered down her optic overnight out of respect and was just now getting reacquainted with her surroundings. She hadn't known that was even possible. It couldn't be comfortable being essentially blind for several hours. The Oracle turret had started doing that after her first night there, when Chell awoke to use the toilet and couldn't go back to sleep from the light. It was quite endearing, really, and even though Ora didn't speak too much or too often, she knew the little turret appreciated her company as much as Chell appreciated hers.

"Bad morning," she said, in the exact same tone one would use for 'good morning'. It was probably her way of making a light joke in sympathy. Chell smirked, and then sighed in agreement. It most certainly wasn't a good morning. She grabbed her notepad from the desk and turned it on, wincing from the sudden bright light.

"_How are you?"_ She scrawled and showed it to Ora.

"Awake."

Sometimes, Chell couldn't decide whether the turret was joking or serious. Ora's dialogue was pretty inconsistent and hard to predict, and when she did respond, she often liked to speak in riddles. In this case, though, Chell could just barely detect a hint of amusement in her voice.

"_Ha ha, very funny."_ Granted, it was kind of a silly question; nothing had happened since they last spoke, after all.

"It's true!" she chirped.

She shook her head and responded, _"Well, I'm gonna take a shower now, before breakfast,"_ although that wasn't an accurate term for the meal at all.

"Have fun," Ora said in her normal, serene way.

Chell grinned slightly at that as she entered the bathroom and flicked on the lights. For the most part, she hadn't said anything significant again over the past few days, seeming content to just interact in what was becoming her usual fashion. Ora did speak more than she had before, though, now that she was getting accustomed to the situation, and the quirky personality that was starting to emerge was quite entertaining, particularly because she would have never expected it from the quiet little turret.

Unfortunately, as soon as Chell made her way into GLaDOS's chamber, her mood quickly soured.

"_I KNOW I wasn't asleep. I was trying to FALL asleep!"_ she wrote brusquely, trying to convey shouting as much as she could without being able to talk, jabbing the 'send' button on the touchscreen of her notepad.

GLaDOS was unperturbed. "Well then you were failing pretty badly. I give you plenty of time to sleep already; if you really needed it, you would use it," GLaDOS stated matter-of-factly. She didn't seem to understand how sleep worked.

Chell took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to relax her grip on the thin device so it wouldn't crumple or shatter in her hands. _"I can't just fall asleep whenever I want to. Don't you have any neuroscience books or whatever in your database?"_

"Of course I do. My archives are a bit more comprehensive than Encarta, you know," she said dryly. "It just so happens that I _know_ how much time you spend 'trying to sleep', and it's far more than what is required."

"_Ever heard of insomnia?"_ Chell asked sarcastically.

"If you had insomnia, then you wouldn't be able to sleep more anyway, so it would be fruitless to stay in bed any longer," she pointed out. "Honestly, humans are so inefficient, sometimes I feel like my processors will fry from trying to comprehend you."

Chell gritted her teeth, but couldn't think of anything to counter that. She wouldn't admit to her regular nightmares; not to GLaDOS...she could never admit how deeply and fundamentally her time at Aperture had actually affected her. Although, if her cameras were indeed so sensitive that they could measure breathing and heart rate, GLaDOS might have guessed at them anyway. While Chell was stewing with irritation, the AI was completely unfazed by their argument, swinging back and forth idly from her perch on the ceiling.

"The ambient radiation in the main reactor room has fallen to non-lethal levels. When Blue has finished collecting all the required materials, you will begin on the final repairs necessary for me to restore its functionality."

Chell's attention snapped back to the supercomputer in alarm. _We're doing that _today_?_

GLaDOS stilled her chassis and faced Chell directly, speaking in a more serious tone. "_You will need to be careful._ Make sure you're familiar with all the proper procedures, even if I'll be directing you through it. If you deviate in any way during the marked critical steps, the reactor and the facility could be further damaged, but _you_ will certainly die," GLaDOS warned, more as an incentive for Chell to follow instructions than out of worry for the human. "And that would be bad. Kind of."

Chell had been uncomfortable about finally asking GLaDOS if she knew anything about the test subject records, but finding out what she would be doing today completely overshadowed that puny discomfort with barely controlled panic. She'd be working on a nuclear reactor. Not just the controls and panelling like she'd been doing the previous days, but the _core itself_—the dangerous part everybody talked about when they said stuff like "it's going critical!" or, "it's a meltdown!" or, "AHHHHH!" She knew it'd been coming, and she understood why she was better fit to perform this task than Orange or Blue, but...just the thought of it sent a chill down her spine.

"_Can I review the instructions back in my room, then? I'd like to be as calm as possible before working on a fucking nuclear reactor. You know, just to be safe."_

GLaDOS gave her a measuring look (or what she interpreted as a measuring look), and just called out, "Orange!"

The tall feminine android soon popped into the room, interpreting her task easily, and started walking her back to her Relaxation Chamber, occasionally making little chittering sounds to herself. Chell was at least glad she wasn't the only one anxious about today, but it wasn't exactly reassuring to know that these androids, who had been built to withstand much more hostile conditions than she, had similar feelings.

In a burst of curiosity, she wrote out on the notepad, _"Are you nervous?"_ and stuck it in front of the android's optic, causing her to stop mid-stride (which looked rather funny) and inspect the device, then turn her gaze to Chell. She quietly made one of her usual noises, but also nodded slowly. _It's strange how I'm starting to attach emotions to the androids now, just from their movements,_ she thought as they resumed walking. It was also kind of amusing to see how cautious Orange and Blue still seemed to be around her. _No doubt from all the scary stories GLaDOS has told them about the mute lunatic_, she thought with a smirk.

When they arrived at her chamber, Chell halfheartedly shooed Orange away and closed the door behind her, slumping down on her bed to re-read the five hundred page e-Book that had all the information GLaDOS deemed necessary for repairing the nuclear reactor. It was slow going though, because she'd read the same sentence over and over again without realising it, not absorbing any of the information. She couldn't keep her mind from wandering despite her best efforts, bouncing her foot up and down on the side of the bed restlessly.

She abandoned the task and began to pace instead.

The androids had removed all the exposed fuel rods and radioactive material from the chamber, but it was still going to be incredibly risky, both working on the new core, and then guiding the controls while GLaDOS finished putting everything into place. She'd be shielded, protected, and ready to run if necessary, but...

"It'll be okay." Ora's soft voice brought her tumultuous thoughts to a screeching halt from the side of the bed. "Don't worry," she said soothingly.

In her self-absorbed panic, Chell had almost forgotten the little turret was there. She sighed heavily and relaxed her limbs, slightly less tense.

"_How do you know?"_

"It'll be okay," Ora repeated, although this time with a detectable air of confidence.

She frowned. This was the first time since having been brought back up from Sector 17 that the Oracle turret had said anything concrete about future events. It was surprisingly...underwhelming, but when she thought about it, all the previous insights had at the time been completely inconspicuous, only standing out in hindsight.

"_I hope you're right..."_

"I'm always right!"

_Cheeky little..._ It did help, though, more than Chell could have anticipated, to have someone there for support. Still feeling somewhat antsy, she went to the sink to splash some water on her face in an attempt to calm herself down, but instead just gave in and took another shower.

As Chell was drying herself absentmindedly (with an Aperture Science Corporal Dehumidification Device, better known as a 'towel'), the crackling speakers snapped her out of her reverie.

"_IF_ you're done with your futile hygiene procedures," came GLaDOS's snarky voice, "Orange and Blue are waiting to take you down to the reactor, where you will have to take the necessary safety precautions before finishing the manual portion of repair. You've read that part of the instructions, I presume. It's not my fault if you die from radiation poisoning."

_This is it. I can do this._ Chell took a few calming breaths, feeling a little shaky but determined do the repairs properly. After this, everything else should be easy sailing, even if it was a few more weeks before she'd be able to leave the facility. As she was getting ready to leave, Chell heard Ora speak up one last time.

"Kindness always has a reward."

She paused while zipping up her orange jumpsuit. _Kindness has a reward? What's she talking about?_ Chell turned to face the little turret, who was looking at her directly, her little side panels sticking out and turned upwards.

"_What do you mean?"_

"It always does," she responded softly. "You are a kind person."

Chell was touched. She didn't necessarily agree with the statement (_GLaDOS would certainly go ballistic if she heard it_, Chell smirked), but clearly the compliment was heartfelt.

"_Are you saying I'll be rewarded?"_

The Oracle turret didn't say anything else. After a few moments' pause, Chell grabbed her notepad and left to join Orange and Blue outside, shooting one last glance at Ora as she walked through the door.

"Good luck..."

—

Working on the reactor core wasn't quite as intense as Chell had anticipated, but it was still nerve-wracking, not to mention laboriously slow. She wasn't "repairing" the core so much as building a completely new one, albeit with the androids' help. Breathing a little heavily, she sat back for a second to rest her arms, wishing she could take off her hazmat suit just to wipe the sweat off her face and neck.

With the core assembly already overheated and ruptured, apparently the only way GLaDOS had been able to prevent a full-scale meltdown was to completely tear it apart and fill the entire room with some type of heavy-duty coolant...or something. The circular room itself was pretty small—maybe five meters across at the most—but it had been packed with small piping, electronics, and bundles of wiring that had for the most part been burnt to a crisp, the remnants of which were scattered around the floor along with the very fine powdery by-product of the coolant.

"What are you waiting for? We're only halfway done; you still need to finish the inner casing for the fuel and control rods. And then redo all the wiring. And then the piping. And the control mechanisms for the rod assemblies and—"

"_I know!"_ Chell finally managed to write into her notepad. _"I just need to rest my arms for a bit. Not all of us are super-strong androids with metal limbs. I honestly don't know if we can finish this today."_

"If a certain human didn't tire out so easily, that wouldn't be a problem," said GLaDOS.

"_Well, if a certain _computer_ hadn't built her androids with the dexterity of a pair of two-by-fours, I wouldn't have to help at all."_

"I can assure you," the AI began heatedly, "Orange and Blue are a pinnacle of robotic engineering. Just because you can't appreciate—"

Chell interrupted her by standing up and waving her arms dismissively, writing, _"I get it, you're a genius, whatever. I'll get back to work if you quit prattling on about yourself."_

"Well get to it, then," GLaDOS huffed.

She did feel a little bad about insulting the androids. They'd been helping for hours, carrying the heavier components for her and holding them in place for welding when necessary. Still, that left all the small-scale assembly to her, which involved all sorts of twisting her body back and forth to install the interior parts.

It was only several hours later that Chell was finally, _finally_ getting close to done with all the piping and redundancy panels and chips that connected to the core. She stood back, exhausted, to admire her work. The reactor core was a giant, rounded, dull white cylinder sticking partway out of the floor, with a thick, heavy hatch that opened up out of the top where the fuel and control rods would be lowered in. There were wires and multiple circuit panels that connected to various sensors on the sides of the core, both for preliminary evaluation and for output regulation, and small pipes for coolant and various other fluids snaked along the floor of the room.

_Finally,_ thought Chell as she closed the lid of the last circuit box with a snap.

"_Finally,_" said GLaDOS, albeit with a bit more disdain. "Now make sure all the breakers are on and get to the control room."

Chell grabbed onto Orange to stand up and stretched her aching limbs.

_"Can't we wait until tomorrow? I'm seriously tired. I know there isn't much left, but I'd feel better if I was well rested for this."_

"No. We're doing this now," GLaDOS responded irritatedly. "I've spent quite long enough with a barely functional facility. All you're doing is pressing buttons and checking lights; even you can't mess it up."

Chell sighed, but nodded resignedly as she walked out of the room, Orange and Blue closing the giant hatch behind her. The two androids chittered nervously to each other as they traversed the small hallway to the control room, where Chell would be initiating and monitoring the few mechanisms that weren't under GLaDOS's control for starting the reactor. When they reached their destination, the group was met with an impressive display of paneled buttons, switches, sliders, and lights and monitors, all off at the moment. The diagrams in the manual didn't nearly do it justice.

_Jesus..._

"Yes, yes, it's quite the sight, but you're only going to be touching that part in the middle labeled H3, _nothing else_," the AI said. Orange cringed and backed away, having been about to touch one of the buttons.

Chell rolled her eyes at GLaDOS's warning. _Does she honestly think I have a death wish after all I've been through?_ If anything, this whole thing could be an elaborate setup by GLaDOS to kill her. She snorted. It would certainly have that distinct Aperture Inefficiency.

"_Okay, so, start with...N1F1 and F2, then wait for the flow dials to—?"_ she started, but GLaDOS spoke before she could send the message.

"Now get your stubby fingers to that panel on the bottom left and press the switches labelled N1F1 and N1F2, then wait until I tell you to do anything else."

Chell smirked and did as instructed. The next thirty minutes or so went much the same, with more and more time passing between instructions as the process came under GLaDOS's full control. Within an hour, Chell and the androids were tasked with just observing the dials and monitors as GLaDOS finished activating the reactor.

The problem with observation, however, is that the person doing it has to be observant. Chell was tired after a day's work of physical exertion, and quite somnolent after several nights of poor sleep, so she didn't see the small red light blinking at the bottom of the control panel. Until...

"_What did you do?_ What are you doing!?" screeched GLaDOS.

Chell started, suddenly on high alert. The light that had been blinking red solidified, and other lights and displays were quickly turning red as well. She jumped back from the controls, eyes widening, as an alarm started blaring.

"What did you do?" GLaDOS asked again. "The reactor—!" Her voice cut off as a power surge fried the speakers and lights of the room, and presumably the cameras as well. The controls and the androids' optics were now the only sources of light, but it was pretty bright from all the warnings going off. It seemed the alarm ran on some other power source, because that was still going.

_What the hell did I do wrong?_ Chell vehemently shook her head. She was absolutely certain she'd followed the instructions to a tee, so she shoved that thought away and focused on trying to figure out what the problem was, and if it could be fixed. Even with the shrill alarm grating on her ears, Chell pushed her panic to the back of her mind as she concentrated on the task at hand, as she always did. There was no time for fear now.

As Chell leaned over the controls to get a better look at the readings, Orange and Blue started trying to restrain her, apparently so she couldn't do more damage. _Dammit, not now..._ She fought to free an arm and reached for the notepad, writing out, _"I have to figure out what's wrong! If the worst happens, we're all dead!"_ She stared at them fiercely, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation. They looked at each other and chattered loudly, debating on whether to release her or not. _Come on, come on, come on!_

Eventually, the blaring alarm and flashing lights convinced them that they had nothing to lose, and they set her free. Chell turned back to the controls, frantically trying to evaluate the situation and make up for precious time lost. _GLaDOS must be going crazy right now,_ she thought with a grimace.

The temperature readings caught her eye; they were way past emergency levels. _Are we gonna have a meltdown?_ She looked at the display for the control rods, and, to her dismay, saw that they had almost been completely removed. _How in the hell—? What overrode the safety mechanisms!?_ The temperature of the core hull was climbing way too fast; at this rate, there really was going to be a meltdown.

She turned to her side to see Orange and Blue looking back and forth between her and the readings, shifting on their feet and wringing their 'hands'. Chell checked the temperature and water flow readings one last time, and made her decision. It was either a potential death from radiation, or a certain death from an explosion. She grabbed her notepad and scrawled, _"Come on, we have to shut off the reactor. We have to cut off the power to circuit box D and manually lower the control rods back in."_ It should cool down on its own after that.

They just stood there and stared at her in the semi-darkness, the harsh klaxon ringing through the room.

"_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE!"_ Chell scratched on the screen with her stylus. She dropped the notepad and yanked on the androids, trying to get them to follow her out of the room. Eventually they complied, and the three ran back down the hallway towards the reactor room.

When they got to the big round hatch that led to the reactor, they tried to open it and found it...locked. _Are you serious..._ Chell stared at the sealed passage incredulously. Admittedly, it made sense to bar entrance in this situation. At this point, evacuation would be the ideal course of action...unfortunately, that wasn't an option at the moment.

The three stared helplessly at each other, not knowing what to do next, until the wall next to the hatch ripped open with a loud hissing sound, a large pipe spewing out evaporated coolant fluid.

_Crap...that's not a good sign._ It did offer entrance though, so Chell climbed into the makeshift tunnel, disassembling the paneling from within so they could get into the reactor room on the other side.

By they time they got in, there were obvious signs of the stress being placed on the system. A lot of the fuses and breakers had been destroyed, and some of the little piping around the core had also been blown out, leaking all sorts of unidentified fluids onto the floor. More ominous and threatening, though, were the loud creaking and groaning sounds permeating the room, from the larger pipes, the floor, and the core assembly itself. There clearly wasn't much time left.

Chell stepped and jumped around all the components sticking out of the ground, but at this point she didn't really care—the whole structure was completely compromised anyway. She looked back and waved furiously for the androids to join her. Chell tried to signal for Orange to just yank wiring out of circuit box D, cursing herself for not bringing the notepad with her.

As she led Blue to the core hull, they heard a loud, deep rumbling come from underneath, and the whole room shifted, throwing them off balance. _One of the larger pipes must have burst_, Chell thought to herself. At this point, she was experiencing an odd, tingling feeling in her limbs, and some slight light-headedness; an effect of the radiation, she assumed. _Come on, dammit!_

She tried to climb up with Blue along the side of the core, but jumped back, releasing a weak, raspy yelp—it was scalding hot, of course. _Ugh, how do I tell him what to do!?_ Chell saw that the circuit box was pretty much out of commission, so all Blue had to do for now was open the core hatch to release the pressure—admittedly easier said than done, considering it might blow him to smithereens, or just melt him from the heat.

The decision was taken from her, though, when a much louder sound, a deafening roar, came from below, accompanied by a severe displacement that shifted the floor to an almost forty-five degree angle. The three were tossed into the air and hit the back wall, while the room and the entire reactor structure beneath it began to crumble.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ She was pretty sure her leg was broken. Chell, Orange, and Blue scrambled for the right wall as the floor (which was now practically a wall as well) cracked open, and most of the room ripped away from the main structure, taking the reactor core with it.

Unfortunately, Blue was just reaching the safe part of the wall when it started collapsing beneath him.

Chell watched as Orange looked on in clear horror, and turned to see Blue flailing his limbs, desperately trying to latch onto something. _Aw hell,_ she grimaced as she took a deep breath and launched herself at the android, holding him with an arm and leg, hanging from a protruding pipe with her other arm. There was no way she'd be able to haul both of them back up, but thankfully Orange was able to grab Chell from the waist and pull them both to safety. Blue seemed to have crumpled some parts of his legs as well, but otherwise was okay.

The three of them watched in silence as the reactor core, far, far below them, hit some other part of Aperture and finally burst, flashing an intense blue light. Chell felt a vague heat, but not much else.

After some time, the three slowly climbed back up out of the decimated room through the makeshift tunnel by the hatch, and Chell collapsed down against the wall of the hallway, completely and utterly exhausted. She took off her helmet, gasping for fresh air. _Holy shit..._ She couldn't determine if it was the closest she'd come to death, but if it wasn't, then it was pretty damn close.

Eventually, she got up, and limped her way back to the main facility, she and Blue both leaning on Orange for support. On the way, Chell noticed that the two androids were a lot more comfortable around her, and grinned weakly. _Looks like I've earned some points today._

When they got back though, Chell remembered something she really should have anticipated.

GLaDOS.

As soon as the three entered her chamber, the AI turned towards them and grabbed Chell away from Orange with her claw arm, slamming her against the wall savagely.

"_I KNEW it!"_ she snarled. Chell heard at least three cracks in her chest. _Ri__bs..._ she thought. That wasn't quite the most pressing matter though.

"I _knew_ it," GLaDOS repeated quietly. "I don't know what I was thinking, letting you back in here..." Chell hadn't heard her this angry in a long time. "I should have known," she went on softly, "I should have known you'd find a way to sabotage me. To continue your meticulous destruction of me and my facility. I should have known."

The claw arm pressed Chell harder into the wall, and she started wheezing, struggling to find breath with the pain and aching all over her body, her field of vision taking on a dangerous red tint.

"When have I _ever_ been wrong? I went against my better judgement," she said, "I went against my experience, I went against everything I know and let you work here. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but I'll find out." GLaDOS came in close to stare at her, her optic painfully bright in Chell's face.

"What I do know," she continued in that dangerous, seductive, silky tone, "is that you won't live long enough to see it happen. It's quite sad, actually. You went through all that trouble to ruin the reactor, and all you did was incapacitate yourself. Then again, it's fitting. A pitiful end to a pitiful existence. Now goodbye."

_I guess this is it...I guess it's all over,_ Chell lamented. _She finally beat me, and I wasn't even trying to kill her..._

But as GLaDOS prepared to move Chell over to the incinerator, Orange stepped in the way, quavering, small and afraid, but resolutely blocking her path nonetheless.

"What are you doing? Get out of the way, she's lived quite long enough."

She didn't move, though. Orange quietly started to talk, apparently trying to convince GLaDOS to spare Chell. _Why is she doing this? Is she..._ and then Chell, along with Orange and GLaDOS, turned to look at Blue.

"She _saved_ him?" GLaDOS asked disbelievingly. "Why on earth would she do that?"

Orange seemed to stand taller, speaking louder and with more confidence.

"Not her fault...tried to stop it...that's ridiculous." But the AI turned to inspect Chell intently, with the human staring back in defiance.

After an eternity of silence, she spoke. "Fine. What happened? Go get her notepad."

Orange started moving towards the door, but as soon as GLaDOS released Chell, she crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily and in terrible pain. She coughed weakly, and the world started to swirl sickeningly around her as a bout of nausea hit. The last thing she remembered was Orange running towards her, before she passed out.

* * *

A/N: So, there seems to be a split between people who think this could be a romance and those who don't, although the former group seems slightly more numerous. One thing I agree with is that it's too early to change the genre, so that'll be staying for now.  
Now, for another question: do you think my writing has improved since the first few chapters? If so, should I rewrite the first three or so? Please respond, or just review in general! My birthday is actually on 4 July, so make me happy, heh. Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the 'action' scene didn't feel too rushed. I had a hard time writing it, actually.


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